Poland’s air force brought Israel’s first Polish citizens to safety. After a government plane landed in the early hours of the morning, two Hercules military transport planes have now landed at Warsaw airport, Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak said.
+++ 09:20 UN: More than 123 thousand people displaced in the Gaza Strip +++
According to the UN, more than 123,000 people have been displaced in the Gaza Strip since the radical Islamist Hamas began its massive attack on Israel. More than 123,538 people abandoned their homes “out of fear, concern for their protection and because of the destruction of their homes”, explains the United Nations Office for Humanitarian Affairs (Ocha). More than 73 thousand refugees are housed in schools.
+++ 09:06 US assumes ground offensive “in the next 24 to 48 hours” +++
US government officials expect the Israeli government to launch a ground attack on the Gaza Strip within the next 24 to 48 hours. This is reported by the Washington Post. The Israeli cabinet’s vote to declare a state of war allows for such a comprehensive operation.
+++ 08:56 Weichert: Israel has a “choice between plague and cholera” +++
Hamas fighters also “attack, kidnap and murder” people on Israeli soil in the evening and at night, as NTV reporter Jürgen Weichert from Ashkelon reports. According to official data, more than 100 people have been kidnapped since the attacks began. To free them, two options are being discussed in Israel.
+++ 08:30 Merkel calls Hamas attack on Israel “barbaric” +++
Former Chancellor Merkel said in a written statement: “I strongly condemn Hamas’ terrorist attacks on the State of Israel. They are inhumane and barbaric. My thoughts and solidarity are with the Israeli people and the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which are… Defending the security of the State of Israel. The statements made by the Federal Chancellor and the presidents of the SPD, CDU/CSU, Alliance90/The Greens and FDP on October 8, 2023 have my full support.”
+++ 08:26 Bangkok confirms the death of twelve Thais at the hands of Hamas +++
According to information from Bangkok, twelve Thai citizens were also killed in the major attack by radical Islamist Hamas on Israel. The Thai Embassy in Israel learned of the deaths from the victims’ employers, said Thai Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Kanchana Patarachoke. The government is preparing to evacuate its compatriots.
+++ 08:21 Minister: Government must “put differences aside” +++
Minister of Economy and Industry Nir Barkat called on the Israeli government to unite. “Israel is at war and this is the time for a government of national unity. In such a complex moment, we must put aside our differences and unite against the enemy who wants to destroy us,” Barkat said, according to Haaretz. He emphasized that fighters “from all parts of Israeli society are fighting for the State of Israel.” These must be supported by a unity government “that represents all the people”. The cabinet of the right-wing religious government led by Benjamin Netanyahu has been divided for weeks.
+++ 08:00 More than 2,300 Israelis in hospitals +++
Since the start of the war, 2,382 injured Israelis have been taken to hospitals, 22 of them in critical condition and 345 in serious condition. This is reported by the Israeli Ministry of Health.
+++ 07:39 Army Spokesperson: Seven to eight places in Israel are still up for grabs +++
Two days after Hamas’ surprise attack on Israel, according to the Israeli army, a number of towns near the border are still facing heavy fighting. “We are still fighting,” army spokesman Richard Hecht said in the morning of Monday. There are “between seven and eight” open battle sites in the border area with the Gaza Strip “where we are still fighting terrorists”.
+++ 07:16 “The deadliest attack on Jews since the Holocaust” +++
U.S. Special Representative for Antisemitism Deborah Lipstadt, one of the world’s most renowned Holocaust scholars, called the Hamas attacks “the deadliest attack on Jews since the Holocaust.” There is no justification for “heinous and barbaric terrorism against Israeli civilians” and mass murder.
+++ 07:05 Israeli army: More than 500 Hamas targets hit in the Gaza Strip +++
48 hours after radical Islamist Hamas began its attack on Israel, the Israeli army claims to have targeted hundreds of targets in the Gaza Strip. Overnight, “Israeli Army fighter jets, helicopters, aircraft and artillery struck more than 500 Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorist targets in the Gaza Strip,” the Israeli army said.
+++ 07:01 Fights against Hamas terrorists in kibbutz near Gaza +++
Hamas intruders are still in Israel. Israeli soldiers fought 70 terrorists in Kibbutz Be’eri on Sunday night, the Haaretz newspaper reported this morning. The kibbutz is located a few kilometers from the Gaza Strip. The Israeli army suspects that there is a tunnel in the area leading to the Gaza Strip. Meanwhile, clashes are reported with seven terrorists from Kibbutz Kfar Aza and six terrorists from Kibbutz Nirim.
+++ 06:43 Report: Iran organized attack together with Hamas +++
According to a report, Iran organized the attack on Israel together with Hamas and gave its final blessing last Monday. This is reported by the Wall Street Journal, citing senior members of Hamas itself. Members of Lebanon’s Shiite Hezbollah militia, which is also supported by Iran, reportedly confirmed the report. Thus, officers of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard have been preparing the major attack on Israel together with Hamas in the Lebanese capital, Beirut, since August. A spokesman for the Iranian mission to the UN dismissed the report. He said Iran supported the attack but did not organize it.
+++ 06:10 Israel: Hamas uses civilians as protective shields +++
According to the Israeli army, Islamic Hamas uses civilians as “human shields”. Furthermore, Hamas hides terrorist infrastructures in civilian areas in the Gaza Strip. In a list accompanied by photos of “Hamas war crimes,” the IDF said Hamas desecrated and mutilated corpses, intentionally killed, kidnapped and held civilians hostage.
+++ 05:56 Laschet for ammunition deliveries to Israel +++
Former CDU leader Armin Laschet is in favor of providing ammunition to Israel if the country requests it. If there is a shortage of military goods in Israel, Germany should provide “all necessary material support”, the former prime minister of North Rhine-Westphalia told media outlet Table.Media. At the same time, Laschet calls for a review of all aid funds for the Gaza Strip. There is a “latent and unreflective sympathy for the Palestinians” in the EU Parliament, which is often blind to extremist tendencies. The EU and federal government must adapt their humanitarian and development support “so that funds are not misused for terrorism against Israel,” he added.
+++ 05:40 More airlines suspend flights to Tel Aviv +++
After several international airlines – United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, American Airlines and Air France – the Chinese Hainan Airlines is now also suspending its flights to Tel Aviv. Lufthansa has also suspended all flights to and from Israel until Monday inclusive.
+++ 05:05 Iran denies active role in Hamas attack +++
Iran denies any links to the attacks in Israel. “We strongly support Palestine, but we are not involved in the Palestinian response, as it is only taken by Palestine itself”, explains the Iranian mission to the United Nations (UN). “Palestine’s decisive actions are a completely legitimate defense against seven decades of oppressive occupation and the heinous crimes of the illegitimate Zionist regime.” The success of the Hamas operation was due to the element of surprise, which made it the “biggest failure” of Israeli security organizations.
+++ 04:25 “Israel’s enemies want to murder”: Police union demands more protection +++
The police union (GdP) calls for greater protection of Jewish institutions in Germany. “The attacks in Israel make it necessary to reinforce the protection of Jewish institutions in Germany. Since the attacks in Paris and the attack in Halle, it has become clear that Israel’s enemies are very active in Europe and want to murder. avoided at all costs.” , says GdP vice-president Sven Hüber to the “Rheinische Post”. “We must therefore extend protection to Jewish institutions that have not yet received any protection.” Furthermore, the federal government should examine whether existing frontline Hamas or Hezbollah organizations in Germany could be banned. Clear signals are needed that these networks that celebrated the weekend’s terrorist attacks and the desecration of the bodies of Israeli citizens would not be tolerated in Germany.
+++ 03:55 Israeli Air Force bombs Hamas headquarters +++
The Israeli Air Force has bombed more targets in the Gaza Strip following devastating attacks by Islamic Hamas. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced early in the morning on its Telegram channel that a building housing Hamas members had been attacked. At the same time, several Hamas command centers were attacked, including one owned by Mahmad Kashta, a high-ranking member of the Navy. The IDF also targeted a Hamas operational facility located in a mosque in the city of Jabalia, he said.
+++ 03:20 Palestine fans demonstrate in New York +++
One day after Hamas’ major attack on Israel, thousands of people showed solidarity with the Palestinians at a demonstration in New York. Participants in the Manhattan rally waved Palestinian flags and marched in Times Square, near the Israeli consulate and the United Nations headquarters. “What we saw yesterday was the people of Gaza leaving their prison in the open,” said protester Munir Atalla, who belongs to a Palestinian support group. He condemns Israel’s settlement policy and blockade of the Gaza Strip. Meanwhile, hundreds of people gathered in Manhattan for a pro-Israel rally.
+++ 02:50 Hamas condemns US aid to armed men +++
The Palestinian radical Islamic group Hamas condemns the sending of US warships and fighter planes to the region and the supply of US ammunition to Israel. The US announcement represents “real participation in the aggression against our people,” says Hamas spokesman Hazem Kassem. The group will not be intimidated.
+++ 02:20 Military: Fighting in southern Israel continues +++
Regarding the security situation in Israel, Reserve Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Conricus reports on the ongoing fighting in the south of the country. It may take a few more hours until the last terrorists are defeated. The military believes that around 1,000 terrorists were involved in the attack on Israeli territory. More than 700 Israelis were killed. However, the number may increase because there are a large number of injured people.
+++ 01:55 Washington confirms deaths of several US citizens +++
According to the Washington government, American citizens were also killed in the major attack on Israel carried out by the Palestinian radical Islamic organization Hamas. A spokesperson for the US National Security Council confirmed the deaths of “several US citizens” and expressed condolences to the victims and their families. He did not give further details. CNN reports that three US citizens have died in Israeli areas near the Gaza border.
+++ 01:30 US citizens also kidnapped? Number of victims rises to 700 +++
According to the Israeli army, more than 700 people have been killed in the country since the radical Islamist Hamas began its attack on Israel. More than 2,100 people were also injured, as the Armed Forces announced this morning on the online service X, formerly Twitter. The Israeli government had previously stated that more than a hundred people were being held hostage by Hamas. The Foreign Ministry says it can be assumed that German citizens were also among those kidnapped. The US government is investigating reports that US citizens have also been kidnapped.
+++ 00:50 Not unanimous: UN Security Council condemns attack on Israel +++
Numerous members of the UN Security Council condemned the Palestinian organization’s massive attack on Israel at an emergency meeting in New York. However, the response is not unanimous, as US Ambassador to the UN Robert Wood emphasized after the meeting. “There are several countries that have condemned the Hamas attacks. But obviously not all,” explains Wood, without explicitly naming countries like Russia.
+++ 00:27 UN Security Council: US demands condemnation of Hamas terror +++
The US calls on the UN Security Council to respond to Hamas’ attack on Israel. “I hope that other members of the Council will strongly condemn these heinous acts of terrorism against the people of Israel and their government,” said US Deputy Ambassador to the UN, Robert Wood, at an emergency meeting of the UN’s highest body.
+++ 23:47 Residential building in Ashkelon hit by rocket +++
Sirens sound in Tel Aviv and other cities in Israel: according to Israeli media reports, a multi-story residential building was hit in the city of Ashkelon, near the Gaza Strip. It is currently unclear whether people were injured.
+++ 23:15 Another rocket alarm in the Tel Aviv area +++
Following Islamic Hamas’ major attack on Israel, there was another rocket alarm late in the evening in the Tel Aviv metropolitan area and other cities across the country. Explosions were heard in the coastal metropolis, many of which were believed to have been triggered by Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system. Previously, warning sirens sounded in locations south of Tel Aviv, among others.
You can read the previous day’s events here.